U.S. Jewish leaders slam Sarah Palin's blood libel accusation

Maybe you should.

what she's been slammed with is, in fact, a sort of blood libel. The more you protest it, the more petulant you sound!

Honestly..so sad but at the very least Sarah needs a dictionary...this should say it all. Not Presidential material. .

Sarah palin lacks intelegence, This is a woman that thinks Africa is a country not a continent, she can see russia from her window, the world was created four thousand years ago. but what's frightening is many Americans believe in her. I honestly think she did'nt have a clue when she used the phrase blood libel.

While I agree that jew's can't keep playing the hate card forever, and someone made the point that Palin could have just been refering to the blood spilt when she called it 'blood libel', she still shouldn't have used such inflamatory words in a speech meant for reconciliation. If she's going to tell politicians and critics that they need to find a common ground and get work done, then she should have used language in her remark that was less argumentative. Instead of libel, she could have used slander, even just the word 'criticism' would have been a better word choice to fit in with the over all message.

... is too busy courting the Born-Again Christian Republicans, that he will never stand up against Palin's hate speech!

Sarah Palin's ignorance of this anti-Semitic canard is exceeded only by her colossal insensitivity.

Alan Dershowitz thinks Palin using the term "blood libel" was fine. http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/01/12/exclusive-alan-dershowitz-defends-sarah-palins-use-of-term-blood-libel/

Some non Jews and most Muslims still use the blood libel against Jews and israel. Just check their media and web sites

I cannot believe that Sarah Palin and her supporters are too ignorant to know what the term Blood Libel means. They disgrace themselves with their foolish explanations and excuses. If she was really a friend of the Jews she would not be using their sorrows as cheap fodder for her political survival.

as someone who is Jewish - I am more offended what Democratic Party members are saying about Sarah Palin than anything Palin happened to say that offended anyone in the Jewish community

why are we still paying attention to her?

This is insult to injury to the congress woman who suffered the blow.Mrs.Giffords may not be able to have children wonder if Mrs Palin cares.Does she not know that the target of this nut just happened to be Jewish.

The head of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) is not a "Jewish leader", he is a partisan hack for a political party. And although I disagree with Abe Foxman at the ADL on this, at least he had the decency to say that Palin has every right to defend herself from these silly charges... and yes, I will say it: BLOOD LIBEL.

Why does the media insist on inflating the egos of trash like this one?

Lets face it American Jews overwhlemingly hate this woman blindly. Friends visiting An American Reform Temple in Boston were shocked when the president of the Temple before the services over the microphone made an anti Palin remark our friends voiced their shock and left and sent a letter of protest to the Temple Jews hate blindly here and there unfortunately .It seems the myth of Jews as understanding and wise is far from the truth what is even more tragic is they have now caused tens of millions of Americans on the conservative side to hate Jews and on the liberal side made up of Blacks and Hispanics who are at the top of anti semites in all studies & many anti Israel wasps even there they have no support .The Dumbind down of American Jewry.

While I agree that the use of the term "blood libel" was inappropriate, at best, to describe the criticism against her, I find it bizarre, at best, that the two quoted individuals/organizations, were described as "US Jewish leaders." The first organizations, like its Republican counterpart, is a creature of the Democratic party, which issues missives when it can paint Republicans as acting against perceived Jewish interests. As for the Jewish Funds for Justice, until reading your article, I had never even heard of it. Before writing this comment I polled at least twenty friends, (only the minority of whom are orthodox residents of Brooklyn), and not one of them had ever heard of the organization. A quick glance at their web site will reveal that until issuing their statement, the last time they were in the news was when they were formed by the merger/consolidation of three equally obscure failing organizations.

How can we stop people from using the word blood libel. Do we own it - Crap - when are we going to grow up. Who cares that our feelings are hurt on every single pretext. Shame on us - this is also going to be like anti semtic . No one gives a damn about being called Anti sentic - we have so overused it and made it a big deal - it lost its meaning..

democrats curse republicans, republicans curse democrats..... but nobody wanted a nutjob to start shootinmg people. you cant blame either side for nutjobs.

Since when did George Soros sockpuppets become Jewish leaders?

While Palin has been pandering to the US Jewish Community since 2008 for purely political reasons, she obviously knows as litle about Jewish history as she does about Russia. I guess because there might be a Jewish State Legislater in Alaska that she is now an expert on all things Jewish. This woman is no friend of the Jewish community nor of Israel. She represents meanness of spirit, ignorance, and lack of respect. She has no concept of the greater milieu in which her words are taken in, and like a child she cannot see the connections between disparate events. While Obama might be a disappointment and failure as President, this woman would be a catastrophe. My eternal disdain for the great 'hero" John McCain, a political coward who brought this woman out into the light of day.

this is well known, the sad thing is, she has almost a 30% approval rating, that means a good portion of the american public is completely clueless and ignorant.

Look, when people get shot there is blood? Right? When people are defamed in writing it's called libel, right? So when Sarah Palin says "blood libel" it makes sense in that context. So stop attacking Sarah Palin! She's a great friend of Israel and the Jews unlike that bastard George Soros. Oh, and as for using the term Nazi, well, some people act like nazis, so I don't see what's the big deal. http://libertarians4freedom.blogspot.com

Protesting Sara Palin's - use of the Blood Libel accusation - smacks of - pure snobbery - and exclusivity. It should be lauded - and demonstrated - just how easy - and striking the comparison is. As to how easily - it was applied - against the Jewish Nation. This - could be a great opportunity - to grab the coat-tails - and make the best - of the PR provided for free.

Am I the only person not shocked that she would use this phrase? This woman has no couth or good sense. While, I think she should have used a different phrase because of this phrase's place in Jewish history, it is important to note that we Jews don't own this phrase or suffering. She is ignorant-accept it and move on( and try to keep her further out of politics).

Here we go again with the we can only be the victim card. I don't like Palin but a word is a word. So people can't use the word slavery anymore because black were affected by it?

Unfortunately, I am not as generous as Mr. Harris when he says that Ms. Palin ignores the meaning of blood libels. She (or her advisor) knows very well what it means; and she is only showing her real colours when it comes to Jews. She has always been extremely malicious in the way she shows Israel her support - I once heard her implying that Israel has the right to exist because all Jews in the world need a place to go back to. Why on earth would she have this notion that all Jews want to go to Israel? It is the same as saying that Africa has the right to exist so that all black people go back there...*nodding*. This lady is witless and gives politics a even worst name.

One thing I discovered with this intriqing woman is that fact that she is honest. We Jews have issues when it comes to people that are not Jewish, but says things that on the service seem to verbally indicate one thing, but something totally different is meant. Simply put, her statements were taken out of contect by the Jewish Media.... She meant NO harm to any of us. Perhaps she did not know about the use of the words "Blood Liabe;" in a Jewish context.... BUT SHE WAS NOT JUST SPEAKING ON OF JEWS, SHE WAS SPEAKING OF THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT WERE INJURED AND BRUTALLY MURDERED. I will let the rest of the Jewish world know one secret... this woman is a hell of a better friend to the Jews than the ones the New England Jews voted for 2 years ago... You think Obama will come to your rescue when the missles start flying... HELL NO. But Sarah Palin will. Just think about it... take out the republican and democratic words for a moment.... who do you think would actually come to the aid of Israel if and when Iran sends the missles....

One shouldn't take the partisan NJDC or the left-wing JFJ as reflecting Jewish opinion on the matter, and they certainly shouldn't be considered "Jewish leaders". ADL's Foxman was notably more measured as he only focused on the "blood libel" reference (only one line in a 7 minute video statement). Maybe he would have been silent if she left out the "blood" part. But when some critics are insisting Palin "has blood on her hands", then I think blood libel is entirely appropriate. I watched that video, and it was a very dignified statement. One can only hope Obama, when he speaks in Tucson, will do as well.

No matter how one feels about Sarah Palin, I doubt very few people would consider her a master of the English langauge. She is constantly using words wrong, misspelling words and inventing words (Bush II all over again). While she loves Israeli Jews (like a lot on the Right, just not that big on their fell U.S. Jews), she seems to get under the skin of many U.S. Jews repeatedly. However, she is good at changing the subject of the debate, as she did here. With all that said, while the political langauge in the U.S. has gotten more heated - especially on the Right - I really don't blame Palin for this. First, the guy was not a Right-wing nut, he was just a nut. His beliefs were all over the place. He had NAZI books, communist books - neither of which fit into what liberalism or conservatism are or represent (both are capitalist, despite what people say). Plust the political language in this country has been much worse throughout the centuries. This is nothing new. Yet, I can't totally take the blame away from many on the Right (and the few on the Left) that seem to be obsessed with guns even more so of late. Whether it be Joyce Kauffman, Sharron Angle, Allen West, Michelle Bauchman and so forth.

Palin lacks knowledge, wisdom and respect for others. She has the potential for being another Lieberman.